


Dance With the Devil

by MistressPhantomhive



Series: Deal With the Devil [2]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27442528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressPhantomhive/pseuds/MistressPhantomhive
Summary: Six years after discovering that their pasts were intertwined, Sebastian and Ciel thought the case they solved in high school was completely over with. Little did they know, there is more to the story than what they could have ever imagined.
Relationships: Claude Faustus/Alois Trancy, Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive, Soma Asman Kadar/Elizabeth Midford
Series: Deal With the Devil [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004883
Kudos: 7





	1. His Master, Broadcast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the previous iteration of the series as there will be many references to the events that occurred in this story.

-Ciel’s Point of View-

“Wake up, _amica mea,_ ” A low voice whispered into my ear. His breath tickled my neck as I rolled over and moaned, not wanting to get out of bed.

“Five more minutes,” I grumbled, throwing the pillow over my head to shut out the daylight that filtered through the frosted glass windows. 

“You have classes you need to attend, sleepyhead. You’re not going to have time to eat breakfast and get your things together if you sleep in any longer,” he said behind me as I felt the mattress shift under his weight, rolling over to see him standing up, pulling on a pair of sweatpants that he had abandoned the night before. My eyes glanced over the scars on his back, a tattoo of two snakes wrapped around a scepter inked deep into the skin. 

It had been six years since we solved the case of the missing students at our former high school. Six years since we met and learned our pasts were intertwined. Six years since we fell in love, and six years since he left me, only to return a year later when one of the only cult members left had made an attempt to murder me. 

Five years ago, I was laid up in a hospital bed, attached to tubes and wires, covered in stab wounds and gashes all over my body. When I had awoken, painkillers running hot through my bloodstream, I swore that I had imagined him sitting there. It wasn’t until my hands met his face, and we kissed that I realized that he was really there with me, and I thanked whatever was out there for bringing him back to me. 

“As much as I’d like to see you laying in our bed all day, you really need to get up,” he said, leaning over and pulling the pillow covering my head from my arms. 

I let out a frustrated sigh, sliding out from underneath the covers, and pulling on an oversized dress shirt that laid on the floor to cover up my nude body. 

“Will you make me pancakes?” I asked as he started to walk out the room, his reddish brown eyes glancing back at me for a moment before he chuckled. 

“Whatever you wish is my command,” he said softly as he left the room before I heard him making his way up the steps, heading towards the upper part of the loft. 

I stepped into the living area, grabbing my book and papers that I had left strewn on the coffee table the night before, trying to shove them all into my shoulder bag that I still carried with me from the time we met. Before, it held case files, and other various things needed when I helped our former principal as her watchdog. Now, it only carried textbooks, essays, and materials I needed for my classes at Weston University. 

In the past five years since his return, we’ve remained a rather happy couple. While we had the occasional ups and downs that every relationship has, we still remained strong; the love we had never faltered. I continued to run Funtom despite the workload the university handed me, and Sebastian still worked for the same record store; though trying to make a career as a musician rather than selling the works of others. While we had talked about rebuilding the townhouse that I once resided in before it turned to ash, I decided against it; it wasn’t like I didn’t have the money to rebuild it and then some, but more of the memories that lived within the former property. I preferred Sebastian’s loft over the much roomier home anyways; it was easier to maintain as well. 

He glanced down from the balcony of the kitchen before calling out, “Breakfast is ready,” and I hurried up the steps, taking a glance at the time on my phone. 

I had a little over an hour before my first class started, but the university wasn’t too far from home; the only worry was the traffic that never ceased in the city. 

I sat down at the table as Sebastian served me a plate, placing syrup, a knife, and a fork down in front of me before grabbing his own food. The moment he took his seat, I started eating quickly, not really glancing up or making conversation until I heard him chuckle from the other side of the table. 

“Ravenous, are we? Did last night’s activities make you hungry?” He asked, a sly smile crossing his face. 

A blush dusted my cheeks for only a moment before I smirked back, “I’m surprised you aren’t starving yourself.” 

“You know I don’t have to eat as often as you do,” he responded before cutting a piece off of his food and taking a bite. 

Of course, when we were solving the whole case all those years ago, Sebastian learned about his family’s history, and their lineage of demonic abilities. It was supernatural to say the least; to the point that the basic necessities a human needs to sustain a healthy life weren’t needed as often as someone like me. He could go days without eating, sleeping, even having a sip of water, but he preferred to help me live as normal of a life as much as I possibly could at this point.

We never spoke of his qualities that much and it wasn’t like I needed to command him to do anything much anymore through the connection that we shared. There were always subtle notices here and there with his eyes, the symbol embedded on his hand, and the occasion downy black feather that fell when we were… never mind that. 

As I finished off my food, sitting the plate in the sink, I stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. Quickly, I undressed myself, stepping into the stream of hot water when I heard the door open. I paid no mind to the noise, running my hand through my wet locks of hair, and only glanced over when I heard the curtain open to reveal the man I called my lover. 

He wrapped his arms around me, pressing his body up against mine before I muttered, “I thought you were concerned about me being late to school?” 

He whispered into my skin, placing kisses on my neck, “Mm, I think you have enough time to get there. 

\---

Glancing down at the time on my watch, I climbed out of my car, grabbing my shoulder bag from the backseat before shutting the door. I started to walk quickly towards the building where my first class was located, as I was later than my usual norm, but stopped in my tracks as I heard someone familiar:

“I thought the Phantomhive that I knew was never late to anything?” 

I whipped my head around to see a blond haired boy approaching me, a girl following closely behind him, her hand covering her mouth in a giggle. 

“Usually I’m not, but you know what it’s like to live with a demon, Trancy,” I said, loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to attract the attention of others with that statement. 

Alois walked up to me, a laugh leaving his lips, Lizzy holding her books against her chest behind him. 

In five years, I had remained rather close with the duo. You hear a lot that after high school, you start to drift apart from your friends that you went to school with, and meet your true friends in college; that wasn’t the case with the three of us though. Over the years, it had seemed like we had just bonded so much more in that time. 

“You usually meet us before class starts so we were beginning to get worried about you. You’re usually on time,” Lizzy said, an amused expression on her face as her lips were drawn in a small smirk. 

We all had changed appearances a bit over the years. Alois had grown his hair out a bit, choosing to tie it back in a low ponytail. He was wearing very subtle makeup, which he would have never done when he was living with his mother, but it accentuated his teal eyes even more than before. Lizzy on the other hand, seemed to only get more beautiful over the years; her outfits always keeping up with every new fashion trend. The one thing that remained the same were those silver pearls around her neck, and the gold bangles on her wrist that she treasured. 

I looked down at the time again on my watch, knowing that if I didn’t leave soon, I risked being late to class; I didn’t want the professor making a mockery of me despite my usual punctual attendance. 

“All three of us are going to be late if we don’t get going now,” I said, turning around to walk towards the building that the three of us shared classes in. 

Their footsteps followed closely behind me as Alois teased, “So, what were we up to this morning that made us so late?” 

As I had my back to him, he didn’t see the blush spread across my cheeks as I muttered back, “Nothing; just overslept.” 

He laughed at me before taunting, “I know that isn’t true. You said it yourself; I know what it’s like to live with a demon.” 

My face heated up red as I glanced back at him, Lizzy saying softly, “Alois,” as if to give him a warning about teasing me. While the two us didn’t clash heads anymore like we did back in high school, there were still occasions where the blond haired boy could be a nuisance; I didn’t let that get in the way of our friendship though as we always playfully teased each other quite often. 

Alois clicked his tongue in defeat at Lizzy’s words, and I slowed my pace a bit so they could walk next to me rather than behind. 

As we made our way into the building, Lizzy said cheerfully, “Soma and I are going out to dinner this evening and he wanted me to invite you two. Sebastian and Claude can join in of course if they’re interested.” 

“As long as it’s a place where I can get a margarita, I’m down,” Alois grinned, and Lizzy shot him a look of disapproval before he backtracked, “I’m just kidding. You know Claude and I will always take an invite to dinner with you.” 

I piped up, “I’m sure Sebastian is fine with it as well. He gets off of work about four if we’re going after that.” 

“Great,” Lizzy said softly, a smile on her face, “I’ll text you guys the details when Soma and I sort them out. See you boys this evening.” 

As we approached her classroom first, she gave each of us a peck on the cheek, which was a regular occurrence, and headed into the room. Lizzy always had a big heart for the two of us, and she showed her affection quite often, while strictly platonic. After her and I parted ways years ago, she accepted that the love we shared was more like having a sibling than a romantic partner. She basically saw Alois and I as if she had two more brothers rather than it just being Edward. 

Alois and I shared the same classroom, so we made our way down the halls before entering. The two of us sat in the back of the lecture hall, waiting for class to start when he leaned over to me and muttered, “So, will you tell me the reason why you were so late now that Lizzy isn’t around?” 

There was a smirk playing his lips as I rolled my one cerulean eye at him, “I don’t understand why you want to know so bad.” 

“Because I love to hear all the _juicy_ details,” he chuckled. 

“Fine,” I said, hoping he would be quiet about it if I gave him the smallest bit of information, “Maybe Sebastian climbed into the shower with me this morning.” 

“Well, that would definitely explain the hickey on the side of your neck,” he said, laughing. 

My hand instantly reached up to my neck, pressing down and feeling a small bruise before my face heated up red once again. 

“Dammit, Sebastian.” 

\---

After my classes were over for the day, I returned back to the loft. It was only a couple more hours before Sebastian came home, and I had schoolwork and paperwork to take care of. I pulled off my eyepatch, sitting on the floor next to the coffee table before opening up my binder to look over the notes I had taken during the day. 

I was in the fourth year of university, aiming for a business degree, but I had the most experience out of anyone in the class. I knew it was a bit ironic, already being the heir to a major, successful company, and trying to get a degree in something I already knew like the back of my hand; it just looked better on paper though, and I would admit that I was learning some things that I didn’t know beforehand. Taking these classes definitely helped a bit in me deciding to make major decisions for Funtom. 

After finishing my schoolwork that needed to be done before tomorrow, I started in on the paperwork, calculating numbers, checking audits for various factories spread across the country, and looking at plans and ideas for new products. I glanced over at the new design for the Bitter Rabbit that was still the best selling item that we produced. While I had done many different designs and holiday themes for the plushie, there was a new idea I had lurking in my mind. 

The new design was fairly simple and based off of a special person in my life. The rabbit was all black, with red silk lined ears, and garnet-colored eyes; I had decided not to include an eyepatch for this particular rabbit though, due to it not suiting the person it was based off of. The rabbit wore a black vest with buttons, and had a white feather embroidered on the back; maybe a small reference to what happens in our endeavors. 

I glanced at the rendering with a small half smile on my face. I hadn’t told Sebastain about this particular rabbit yet, but I wanted to make it a small token of our love. I had already put a couple of samples into production, making sure that they had the best quality that the Phantomhive name was known for. 

As I was finishing up product sales versus manufacturing costs, my phone chirped from the end of the table. I flipped it over to see a text from Lizzy: 

_Agni’s place. 5 o’clock. See you then, hun._

Years ago, one of the first incidents of dealing with Serpentine was a fight at Agni’s restaurant. While I remember Lizzy and Sebastian teaming up to take down Ronald then, Agni’s restaurant had become a regular place for us to enjoy the past few years. Soma was Agni’s godbrother, so we visited quite often as the two knew each other well. 

Just as I was about to return to my work, I heard the front door open, Sebastian stepping into the loft, running his hands through his long black hair. 

“You’re home early,” I muttered, glancing over at my paperwork again. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, “There was a massive power outage where the store was located; I’m surprised we even have power here currently. Lix called Zepher, and he said to just close up shop and go home since the electric company said it’s not coming back on anytime soon. 

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” I said before looking back over at him again, “Lizzy and Soma invited us to dinner if you’d like to go. We’re going to Agni's place at five. I’ll drive if you want me to.” 

“That’ll be fine; the Mustang is acting up again anyways,” he muttered, taking a seat on the couch before lighting a cigarette. 

I slid the rendering underneath my paperwork filled with various numbers before he could see the design and glanced back at him before asking, “Are you okay?” 

He seemed annoyed when he came in the door, and I watched as he took a drag, flicking the ashes off into a small tray that sat on the side table. 

“Yeah, just a bit tired. The record store has been losing business lately so there’s not much to do besides sit around and twiddle our thumbs. I know the outage today is going to affect the sales even more, and Saleos said that there was a rumor that Zepher is going to close up shop for good.”

“Mm,” I hummed. Sebastian had been working for The Devil’s Playlist for years now, and despite it being a bit of a mediocre job, his music wasn’t getting enough income to pay the bills. I, on the other hand, had offered to help as I had the money; even offered to have his old Mustang Fastback refurbished back to its original glory when his grandfather bought it years ago. He turned down the offer though, and said that he didn’t want to feel like he had to rely on me for everything when I was already doing so much. 

“I hope they don’t close. I know you like working there,” I said softly, closing up my notes and putting my paperwork back into the file before slipping it into my bag; I needed to take it by the factory in a few days to go over it with Tanaka. 

Sebastian didn’t say anything, just continued to smoke before I moved from my seat on the floor to the couch. I leaned back against the leather, glancing over at him before smirking. 

“Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?” I playfully asked, and he looked over my way. 

“It seems lately you can’t get enough of me, _domnie mi_ ,” he said, smirking, and I leaned a little bit closer to him. 

He stubbed out his cigarette, reaching over and wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me even closer to him. I leaned into his arm, looking up at him as I felt the slightest prickle in my marked eye as he smiled down at me. 

“Maybe I can’t,” I said, voice low before he reached down, turning my face towards him before placing a rough kiss on my lips. I moaned into it as his tongue tangled with me, feeling the piercing he had done a couple of years ago; something Alois had talked him into getting. 

I moved over to straddle him, arms wrapping around his neck, tangling into his hair as he placed soft kisses down my neck. He pulled the collar of my shirt to the side before I felt his teeth bite down, causing me to jerk just the slightest bit. 

“You know we can’t take this too far, and please don’t leave another mark on my neck today,” I whined softly, a small gasp leaving my lips. 

“But you know I want to,” he chuckled against my skin. 

I smirked back at him just the slightest, pulling away, but not letting my fingers leave his hair before saying, “Alois pointed it out this morning. You know how he is when it comes to teasing me.”

“I know. He’s sometimes too observant of his surroundings. I blame Claude for that though,” he laughed. 

I buried my face into his neck before whispering, “Let’s just sit like this for a while. I don’t want to show up to dinner with my hair ruffled.” 

“As long as you’re comfortable, I am as well,” he said, placing a kiss at the top of my hair, and I just snuggled into him, enjoying his warmth. He wrapped his arms around me and we just sat there, enjoying each other’s presence as we always did. 

\---

“Ciel, Sebastian, it’s so nice to see you again,” Agni greeted us as we stepped into the restaurant. It was rather quiet for a regular evening, but there were still some patrons enjoying the food from the corners of the establishment. 

“I hope you’ve been doing well, Agni,” I responded, and he smiled back at us. 

“Of course,” he cheerfully replied, “Soma and Lizzy are in the back corner; the VIP seats if you’d like to call them that.” He laughed at the statement before we walked over to where the couple was sitting at a table made perfectly for the six of us. 

Alois and Claude had yet to arrive, but unlike his statement about me earlier in the day, Alois preferred to be fashionably late rather than early. 

As we took our seats, I glanced over the menu that had only grown over the years. Agni’s restaurant became a little more popular over time, and he was able to expand into more different types of cuisine. With the newfound popularity, he had been able to hire cooks with a various range of experience, as well as more wait staff. 

Once the last couple of our party arrived, we ordered our food. Claude was rather quiet, as per usual as Lizzy, Soma, and Alois chatted away about anything and everything. They were definitely the three that stood out, while Claude, Sebastian, and I preferred to be a bit more on the reserved side. 

“How have you been lately, Sebastian? I know it’s been a couple of weeks since I saw you last,” Claude asked, giving Sebastian a look that I didn’t entirely understand. It was a look of knowing, but at the same time, it seemed that there were more intentions behind it. 

Like Alois, Claude was observant of his surroundings, especially when it came to Sebastian, but it was because they shared the same demonic abilities. Claude was the only demon that Sebastian knew, and the only person who had an understanding of what he dealt with. 

“I’ve been fine; staying busy. You know the usual,” Sebastian said, preferring to stare at his drink rather than the older male. His voice was soft as if his response meant something else than what he had said. 

I wanted to ask what was going on, but a couple of the TVs started blaring a loud beeping tone; an emergency warning like those you’d hear when it came to missing children or severe weather. 

The restaurant went silent as we all glanced over, a newscaster appearing on the screen with a slightly stiff look on her face. 

“ _We apologize for the interruption of your regular programming. This is an emergency broadcast for the entire city._

_Late this afternoon, there was a massive power outage on West Side. It is believed this outage may have been intentional, but we are still waiting for the city to confirm this._

_During the outage, there was a prison break at the maximum security facility located on the outskirts of West Side. Two inmates were not accounted for, and are considered armed and dangerous._ ” 

Two mugshots appeared on the screen and my blood froze entirely cold. 

“ _The individual’s names are Kasadya Analiyese and Ronald Knox. Again, they are considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach them. There is a reward for any information that leads to the capture of these two individuals. As stated before, do not approach them. Please call the local police station at the number listed below. Again, there is a reward for any information given that leads to their capture._

 _In a moment, we will return to your regularly scheduled programming._ ” 

I stared at the two mugshots frozen in my spot. Kasadya’s white hair had grown long, her blind eye along with the regular silver, showing the contract that was broken with Demona’s death. Ronald had a smirk in his mugshot, bright green eyes standing out against his dual colored hair. 

Lizzy sat there, her hand covering her mouth in shock. Alois looked like a deer in the headlights. Claude held a deep, concerned frown on his face. Sebastian gritted his teeth next to me, his hand tightly wrapping around mine. 

“Oh my god,” my voice coming out in a cracked, hoarse whisper, “It’s them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my darling lovelies! It's been quite a long time since we've last seen each other. Hello to the new readers as well, and thank you all for giving this story a read. It's been quite a long time since I've been able to write, so I do apologize if I seem a little rusty. As stated at the top of the chapter, this is a continuation of Deal With the Devil, six years into the future of the previous events that took place. 
> 
> Six years ago, on this day, I posted the very first chapter of Deal With the Devil, and while I did not plan on continuing the fic after completing it, after years of going back and rereading it, I've came to notice that there were some loose ends and unanswered mysteries that I never dove in to. My love for Black Butler was recently rekindled as well, so, I thought it was only fair that I continued the story, and bring you all a new adventure of sorts. 
> 
> This story is also a tad bit better planned out than it predecessor, and I already have 14 chapters more chapters written out. My plans for posting said chapters is every Saturday until I run out, or the story is completed; whichever comes first. Compared to the Kayla from 2015/16, my life now is super busy with work so I try to write when I have the time, and I'm glad that I've been able to rekindle my old hobby that kept me going years ago. 
> 
> I want to thank all of those who choose to join me in this adventure. You guys are what keep the fire going and I'm happy to be back to share my work with you all. 
> 
> As always, comment/kudos/subscribe, and I'll see you all next week for Sebastian's point of view. 
> 
> Stay lovely.


	2. That Butler, Secrets

-Sebastian’s Point of View-

The table was silent after the broadcast. All of us had suddenly lost our appetites, and Ciel looked like he was about to be sick just thinking about two of the reapers having the ability to run loose in the city once again. 

The thought bothering my mind though was the night I returned to Ciel once again. When I had Undertaker pinned to the floor, he couldn’t stop laughing while he claimed that all the reapers were dead; that Kasadya and his brother were dead, and that he was the only one left. I had left him on the floor to die just like the rest of them, but I had a chill running through my body. 

What I hadn’t told Ciel was when I returned back to the loft after visiting hours were over, despite blood covering the floor - almost enough to kill someone - Undertaker was nowhere to be found. I had always given him the assumption that the older male was deceased, and what happened that particular night had been left unsaid between the two of us. 

The only thing we spoke about was my return from my year of solitude. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t lie though, there were a lot of things left unsaid, and Claude was the only one who could understand the secrets I had to keep from Ciel to protect him. He didn’t need to know about the things I had to do to sustain my hunger and power that I had gained from my then, newfound demon. There were things I had to keep Ciel in the dark about. 

Lizzy had tears pricking her eyes as her hand remained in front of her mouth in shock. My eyes glanced over the jagged scar that marred her face; a mark she received when she tried to protect Ciel from Kasadya’s wrath as I fought my mother. 

Soma had his arm wrapped around her, trying to comfort her, but she remained still. I wasn’t sure how much she had told him about what occurred that night, or anything about her capture. I knew that they started seeing each other when Ronald attacked Alois and Ciel in this very same restaurant, and he saw everything that happened. He was there when I had admitted in Claude’s apartment that there was a cult in search of Ciel and I. He was there by her side in the hospital after Kasdaya came after her for stabbing Ronald. He had to have known something though as she disappeared for days on end, only to return with a brand on her back, and the severe wound on her face. 

Alois was in a similar manner, his teal eyes wide as he looked over at Claude. The boy had recounted multiple times the night that my mother had wounded his boyfriend, and almost made them fully withdraw from having anything to do with our case. The only time they helped after that was when my mother forced Ciel to alienate from me by making it look like I had murdered someone; not counting the fact that she forced me to consume the soul of one of her victims to show me what it was like that night. 

And then there was Ciel. I clutched his hand tightly underneath the table, his fingers gripped into a fist. I couldn’t tell if he was going to have a panic attack or rip the head off of the nearest person who had anything to do with what happened years ago. With Kasadya and Ronald loose though, it probably made him feel like his revenge for himself and his family wasn’t as fully satisfied as he thought it was after their arrest and conviction. 

My marked hand burned with his anger and fear, me feeling every emotion that was going through his mind. He was frozen, immobile, but I could feel the rage that flowed through him despite his catatonic state. 

We all sat there at a standstill despite time moving on, and no one made a single move until there was a clash of silverware hitting the floor, and a raspy, harsh scream of, “ **Goddammit** ,” the tight grip I had on Ciel’s hand breaking free. 

Ciel had slung most of the tableware off into the floor as Agni popped his head out of the kitchen for a second before retreating once again. I knew he had seen the broadcast and he hadn’t forgotten what had happened in the restaurant with our motley group; he’d never forget those unnatural green eyes. 

The other patrons of the restaurant glanced over at us, a couple of them grimacing at the noise and the curse, and I wrapped my hand around Ciel’s shoulder, trying to calm him down when he screamed, “Don’t touch me!” 

I hadn’t heard those three words in five years; even when we had gotten into a lover’s quarrel. He had never uttered those words in five years because he was usually calmed by my touch, my scent, my words and ability to bring him down from whatever upset emotion he was dealing with. 

My hand burned in a way that it never had before, and I knew he felt the same sting running through his covered eye as he reached up to touch the patch. It was like our connection had prickled to life in a way that we had never felt in the whole six years that we had known each other. 

“Ciel,” Lizzy’s voice cracked out, almost completely filled with shattered, defeated emotion. 

He glanced back at her, seeing how upset she was, the scar she bore from Kasadya’s knife, and his rage cracked as he fell onto his knees on the tiled floor; almost like a puppet who had its strings cut. He laid there crumpled, almost as if he had lost all feeling in his body. 

I made a move to pick him up, and place him into my arms, but he held his hand up feebly, saying those words again, “Don’t touch me,” though with far less emotion than the first time. 

Alois made his way over to the defeated male, placing a hand on his shoulder, as Lizzy walked over to join him. The two of them lifted Ciel off of the floor, making a glance at the other three of us. They began to carry him outside, his feet slowly finding movement instead of dragging them across the ground. 

“Sebastian,” Claude said, his voice gruff. He knew that the return of the reapers could make me into the monster that I was during the previous fight. He knew that I could lose control. That I could end…

I looked over at him before Soma said with a shaky voice, “A-Are we going to have to go through all of that again?” 

Soma had no idea he was sitting at a table with two demons, who could take down anyone without the lift of a finger if we were strong enough. Soma only knew what he had been told, and mine and Claude’s histories and abilities were never spoken of; even what little Lizzy knew of. Claude and I could take Ronald and Kasadya down without anyone being involved, but at the same time, we didn’t know where they were located, what their plans were, or even if they were fully human. 

There was something about the reapers that I had always questioned. Of course they were all trained with knives, or basically any object with sharp qualities - especially the fight I had with Grelle and her chainsaw - but some of their movements and histories seemed like they weren’t fully human. Ronald had shown the ability to disappear into almost a puff of smoke, and four of the five of the group that he had come across with Serpentine had these bright green-yellow eyes; Kasadya being the only exception, but she had a contract with my mother. 

“Soma, please go check on them,” I muttered softly, his gold eyes staring into me for just a moment before he got up from the table and walked outside without a single question. I’m pretty sure he knew that there was something unusual about Claude and I, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

I watched him head out the door before taking a seat back down at the table, folding my hands together in front of me, as I stared at Claude. His yellow eyes burned into me as I felt a lump form in my throat. 

He sighed for a moment before a serious tone took his voice, “You’re completely sure that Demona was deceased after the fight, correct?” 

I glanced away, “I’m fully certain. Kasadya’s contract was nullified, and Ciel said that he remembered them carrying her out in a body bag. There’s no way she could have survived with the…” I stopped mid-sentence before sighing, “She couldn’t have survived the damage I did to her. I did exactly what you told me to do, Claude; the only thing that you said could kill a demon as powerful as she was. I completely unleashed my power; I loaded up on the souls of almost everyone that had been under Serpetine’s capture, and wouldn’t survive more than a few days in the tortuous hell they were in.” 

I hated to admit what I did; the screams I heard as they fought against me, not knowing what was going on. Most of them had injuries to the fullest extent that I was surprised they were still breathing; so many necrotic body parts, stab wounds, burnt flesh, all covered in dirt, waste, and their own blood. It had to be done though, I had to put an end to her reign, and I couldn’t let people suffer their lives with the state that they were in. I could tell that most of them would die on the way to any type of medical facility to treat the injuries they sustained. Those who survived, probably wouldn’t be able to lead full lives with the trauma, physical and psychological, they endured. 

Though she survived, Lydia had been one of the unfortunate ones. Lizzy had told us a couple of years after Serpentine’s end that Lydia had been locked in a mental facility for a few months to recover; only to take her life less than a year after I returned. I remembered Lydia’s funeral, how Victoria cried, screaming and sobbing, because her son had entrusted Lydia’s care to her. Only then did Lizzy tell us what really happened to Lydia; how Lydia had watched her boyfriend be murdered, how Lydia was forced to endure more pain than any of the other survivors, how Lydia had been ruined psychologically with endless mind games and chances to see freedom, only to be captured over and over again. They’d let her feel like she had a chance to escape, but there was a reaper around every corner; it was like they were trying to give her a look at freedom, but there was no escape. 

Claude glanced away for a second, “Is there anyone in your life that you can think of who could have helped them escape?” 

I bit my lip, trying to think of someone, but no one came to mind. Grelle and William had also been locked up, Undertaker disappeared into the shadows - which made me question if he was dead or alive - but there was no way either of them could continue to carry on the mantra of Serpentine. Undertaker, though he had been a part of it for so long, despised my mother and he only wished her death; he probably would have tried to kill her had he been powerful enough. 

I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to break them out though; he did say to me that they were dead, but was he trying to play mind games with me then? Or did he just lose his sanity thinking he lost his brother and a girl he was supposed to see at one point as his sister? 

“I’m not sure. Did you ever see Undertaker again after he attempted to kill Ciel?” I asked, expression stern. 

Claude shook his head, “I know you said that you severely wounded him, but you never said where he was once you came home?” 

“He was gone,” I muttered, “There was blood all over the floor, the loft was an absolute disaster, but he wasn’t there.” 

The older male across from me made a grunt of disapproval before changing the subject entirely, “When was the last time you fed?” 

I glanced down, knowing he wasn’t talking about a regular everyday meal before muttering, “Three weeks.” 

I ran a hand through my hair, double checking that the other four were still outside before I spoke, “You know how I am about Ciel finding out though. I don’t think you understand how hard it is to hunt without him figuring out what is going on.” 

“You and I both know what happens when we go too long without giving the demon a meal. What’s even worse is we both have souls that we’re already contracted to, and that puts them in danger. If you really want to keep Ciel safe, you need to feed. Are the triplets still in town or have they wandered off again?” Claude asked, glancing over his shoulder, again checking that no one else heard our quiet spoken conversation. 

“Last I checked, they’re still around here. I know they have to feed more often than we do though, and I know they’re bad about cleaning up afterwards,” I glanced away as I spoke. 

I had encountered the triplets during the year I was gone. I found them homeless on city streets, and as I handed them a few dollars, one of them grabbed my leg, his eyes flashing an electric yellow; that’s when I knew that I had encountered a set of demons, three of them in fact. They didn’t trust humans for some reason, but I never asked why; instead they kept to themselves unless it was to feed. Not long after I left them at the beach though, returning to save Ciel, they figured out where I went and decided to settle down in the city; they did leave on occasions though to find fresher meals and not cause a scene that would tip off the police. 

“Call them,” Claude said stiffly, “Get Ciel calmed down, and give them a call and figure out where they’re at, and I’ll join you. If they’ve fled the city again for the time being, then it may be easier for all of us to go together.” 

“How does Alois feel about you going out and hunting?” I asked, knowing that the blond haired boy had an idea of what Claude did to not become ravenous. Alois never brought it up to Ciel though per my wishes. 

“I mean, he knows what I need to do to survive,” Claude shrugged his shoulders, “He knows that it’ll keep him protected from others, and to keep me from putting him in danger myself. 

I looked away, biting my lip before nodding my head, “Okay. I’ll give them a call and let you know where they’re at; hopefully not too far out of town currently.” 

“Good, you look like you need it.” 

I didn’t question what he meant by that statement, but just talking about it made my stomach growl for something that you wouldn’t be able to buy off the shelf at the grocery store. 

\---

“Ciel,” I said softly, walking over to where he laid asleep in bed. His nerves were so torn up from the news earlier that he had a full meltdown from what Lizzy had told me. 

When they carried him outside, and got him to sit down in his car, he had a panic attack, and kept trying to fight their help. He hadn’t had an outburst like that in years and it was almost like him seeing that broadcast had triggered the emotions that he had years ago when we were solving the case. 

It was almost like walking on thin ice. As I drove the car back to the loft, he didn’t speak a word. He didn’t say anything either when we got home. He just went upstairs and immersed himself into a steaming bath, almost up to his head in bubbles. 

I glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table, seeing that it was close to midnight. It was my time to sneak out, meet Claude, and then go to the new spot the twins were hiding out at. 

Slowly, I made my way out of the loft, dressed in all black, my hair tied up in a low ponytail with the hood of my jacket pulled over my head. I looked like I was about to rob someone, but the thing with hunting for a meal is you wanted to remain as concealed as possible, not letting anyone see you, and not making yourself a suspect. Sometimes we were able to clean up the bodies of our souls, and other occasions, we didn’t have the time. 

Claude stood at the bottom of the stairs, hands in his pockets as he glanced over at me before saying, “So, where are they at this time?” 

“Two towns over. They said that they’re going to be at some bar, which sounds about right for them,” I said, rolling my eyes; then again, bars were the easiest place to go. The more alcohol someone had in their system, the more willing they seemed to be going with a complete stranger. There were also those who were looking for one-night stands, but if we were one of them, it became an unfortunate end. 

“Are we driving?” Claude asked and I nodded my head. 

“The Mustang is almost shot so I hope you don’t mind taking your truck,” I glanced over at his Ranger that was parked a couple of spaces down from mine. 

“That’s fine. You really need to get it looked at by a mechanic. I know you love that car, so I’d prefer you keep it in decent shape; it’s pretty much an antique at this point,” he said, swinging his keys around his finger before stepping into the driver’s seat, me joining him on the other side of the vehicle. 

He glanced over at me while I pulled a cigarette out of my pack, rolling down the window a couple of inches before lighting it. Claude never complained about me smoking in his truck, so it was easy to assume that he wasn’t irritable at me because of it. 

“Will the twins be there already?” He questioned as I took a drag, inhaling before letting the spoke leave my lungs. 

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure all three are already slightly tipsy with the way Canterbury is texting me,” I muttered, watching Claude punch the address into his GPS before we took off down the road. 

“Did Ciel finally calm down?” He asked, slight concern lacing his tone. 

“I think his anxiety made him exhausted. We didn’t talk on the way home or afterwards. He just got in the bath and I found him asleep. I put him to bed, and I hope he sleeps soundly through the night. If he wakes up to me not there, he’s going to get suspicious,” I mumbled, staring at the city lights as we passed them. 

Claude was silent for a few minutes before he asked, “Do you feel guilty about feeding?” 

I glanced over at him, grabbing another cigarette and lighting it before sighing, “Always have. I hated what I had to do to the people kidnapped by Serpentine. I just…” I paused, “I know I was a late bloomer when it came to being a demon. I mean, my contract mark showed up on my hand when I was thirteen, but the demonic abilities just didn’t kick into play until Ciel and I met, and we learned of the connection that we shared with our pasts and our contract. I hated what my mother made me do, and my grandfather always hid the fact that he was a demon when he was raising me; even thinking about it now, I wasn’t sure how often he hunted, but being an older demon, he may have been able to go months without feeding.” 

“I felt the same as you at first, but I had my parents to help lead me into this life,” Claude muttered, not taking his eyes off of the road, “They knew how to teach me to hunt and what I needed to do to keep myself from going into a frenzy; to not let my demon free without any boundaries to stop what it was doing. You, on the other hand, didn’t have that kind of comfort and teaching. Your mother threw you into this life without warning, and though I tried to help you in some sort of way, I honestly think that you didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and what you’ll have to do for the rest of your life.” 

I didn’t respond, looking out the window again, puffing on the cigarettes that I was starting to chainsmoke. 

\---

It took about an hour and a half to get to the bar. The town we were in definitely wasn’t as large as the city we called our home, but at the same time, it was large enough for there to be enough people to attract without unwanted attention. 

The triplets were standing outside of the bar, sharing a cigarette between the three of them. They had aged a bit over the years, not looking as ragged as they did before we met. There were also subtle differences between the three of them unlike before; it was almost impossible to tell them apart on occasions. Being 21 now, they had learned to harness their abilities better as well. 

“Are you guys ready?” Timber asked, dropping the cigarette and stubbing it out with his shoe. 

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” I muttered and Claude smirked slightly, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it gently. 

The five of us walked into the building together, dispersing into the crowd before I headed over to the bar, placing my mark on a woman with long silver hair. She was sipping on a martini, clearly a bit wasted as I waved towards the bartender to get his attention. 

“What’ll it be?” He asked, smiling at me as he leaned on the bar. 

“Give me a Jägerbomb, and another martini for the pretty girl sitting over there; whichever way she likes it,” I said with a smirk, and the bartender turned his back to me as he began to mix the drinks. 

The bartender handed me a pint glass with a shot of liquor next to it. I took the shot and dropped it into the glass, watching the liquor mix with the Red Bull before taking a large gulp of it, not consuming the whole thing though. 

“Would you like me to carry the drink over to the pretty lady?” He asked, smirking at me and I nodded my head, watching as he walked down to where the girl was sitting. He handed her the drink before pointing down to me and a blush spread across her already red cheeks. 

I finished off my drink, ordering another before looking out into the crowd, seeing three plum haired boys in the crowd, Claude nowhere to be found. 

As I finished off the second drink, leaning on the bar, I felt a tap on my shoulder before turning around to see the girl I sent the drink to. She had a grin on her face, and I glanced down her body to see her wearing a tight, very short, black dress. 

“Like what you see?” She giggled. 

_No_ , I thought to myself. I was never attracted to women, but they seemed more easier to lure than men. It was harder to come across a gay guy than it was a woman, especially when they considered me very attractive. 

“Very much so,” I lied through my teeth. 

She threw her arms over my shoulders, leaning up on her high heels before whispering in my ear,” How about we dance, and maybe see where this leads?” 

I quickly paid my tab as she stood close by, staring at me like I was a piece of meat. She led me over to the dance floor, holding my hand tightly before she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling at my ponytail slightly with her sharp fingernails. She stared at me with seductive eyes as I put my hands on her waist, squeezing slightly. Despite the music going at a fast pace, we looked like we were participating in a slow dance. 

We danced for a while, my hands moving down her waist, lowering them to her rear before giving it a squeeze. I was growing impatient of the role I had to play and she giggled at me, another blush finding her cheeks. Her fingers slid through my hair, grabbing the back of my head to meet her lips in a rough kiss. 

Though I felt nothing, I had to play her game to get what I wanted. I slid my hand further down her body, almost to where the fabric of her dress stopped, and her bare legs began. She took one hand, trailing it down the front of my pants, palming me through the jeans that I wore. 

I pulled away from her face for just a moment, leaning down to whisper, “Do you want to take this outside?” 

She shivered as my hot breath kissed her neck before she nodded her head, and I pulled her towards the back door that led to a dark alley. 

She roughly pushed me up against the brick wall, her hands sliding up my shirt as she kissed me roughly once again. I had my hands all over her, slowly letting my inner demon free as she slid her sharp fingernails down my chest and abs. She grabbed my belt unbuckling it and popping the button open on my jeans as if she expected me to fuck her into oblivion right then and there. 

I was going to fuck her in a whole other way though. 

I flipped her around to where her back was against the wall. Forcefully, I pushed her against it, one hand on the back of her thigh, the other holding her chin tightly; keeping her lips attached to mine. I could feel my hands morphing into dark claws, scratching at her skin, drawing crimson trails of blood. 

She tried to jerk away from me, my eyes glowing their bright demonic red before she stuttered out, “W-What are you?” 

A dark chuckle left my lips, my demon taking over and sadistic as ever, “The last thing you’ll ever see.” 

My grip tightened on her chin, drawing blood again, as my clawed hand ripped the side of her dress and the skin underneath as I pressed her lips to mine once again. I could feel her soul leaving her body, driving my demon wild as I tasted how sweet it was, a taste I hadn’t had in a while. My pointed incisors broke the skin of her lip, the coppery taste of blood in my mouth. 

As her soul passed over, her body became limp, sliding down the wall. Blood stained her black dress from the marks my hands had made on her. 

Her life flashed through my eyes, a normal sight when I took a soul. I saw that she lived a life of prostituion since she was a teenager, one night killing a john with a piece of brick after it was all said and done; she crushed his head in repeatedly, blood splattering all over her face just to steal his money. In recent years, she had gotten out of the life, but still continued to make a bit of money some days, but not often. 

I had no idea if she had those intentions with me, but unfortunately she had met her fate in my hands. 

My jacket and pants felt wet as I saw the crimson had stained my own clothes, though dark enough to be unseen unless up close. I left her body there, no time to clean up the mess I had made and as I walked out the alley, I heard a high pitched scream. 

“Annie, Annie, **no**!” I could feel the grief of the friend she was with, this “Annie’s” soul still leaving a taste on my tongue and a sense of regained strength in my body. 

I walked down the street until I came across a green Ranger before climbing into the passenger seat and shutting the door. I didn’t want to waste my energy using my demon to transport myself back to the loft, so I had to wait for Claude and the triplets to return. I leaned the seat back, laying down before shutting my eyes. 

Slowly, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep, though I already felt well refreshed. 

\---

It was 4 am when I returned back to the loft. Ciel was still asleep in the bed, his body slowly rising and falling under the covers with each breath he took. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched him, wondering how he’d react if he knew what I did earlier in the night… if he knew what I did to take down my own mother.

Though my demon took on a sadistic side, what little humanity that I had been raised with felt some remorse for my actions. I had to feed though; if I didn’t, I’d risk taking Ciel’s soul before our contract ran up, despite me not knowing when that time was. 

Five years ago, when I told him the terms, I hadn’t fully told the truth. I had used Claude’s contract with Alois as a story to go off of. 

There were so many thoughts wracking my brain, so many things that Ciel didn’t truly know despite how much I loved and cherished him. 

If I wanted to spend forever with him, they would have to come out eventually, right? 

For now, it was a secret better kept than told, and with the return of the reapers, there was no telling what would be revealed, especially since they knew what I did. For now, I would keep as much as I could behind the closed doors of my own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my lovelies. Finally we have Sebastian's first chapter of this continuation. Like last time, the chapter titles will reference whose point of view it is in the story. 
> 
> In this chapter, I kind of handled a few secrets that Sebastian keeps from Ciel, one of them being the terms of their contract. Honestly, I wasn't too happy in the end of the first part on how I revealed them; one of those things being I never revealed how to I came to the conclusion of how Sebastian discovered the details. Like I said, I never intended for there to be a continuation originally, but after sitting on it for literally five years, I decided to make it to where Sebastian doesn't really know all the details, and what the terms of their contract is will be revealed later in this story. There are many more secrets of unfold and unpack as the story continues on. Also, there will be mentions of the triplets a little more often since I just kind of threw them in last minute at the end of Deal With the Devil. I try to fit as many Black Butler characters in it as much as I can, along with a mix of my own OCs (for those who don't know Kasadya, Demona, Lydia, and a couple more characters coming up in the near future are non canon characters of the original story). 
> 
> I'm also posting this chapter a day early for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, the other day, my grandfather passed away. Tomorrow, which is Saturday when this chapter was due, is his funeral, and I currently find it more important to spend time with my family than worry about getting this chapter up. From where this was written out in advance meant I only had to proofread it before posting it here. I'm still handling the grief of the situation, so focusing on my writing (which has always been an outlet for me) has helped out a bit. 
> 
> Next week, we will tackle Ciel's point of view again, and I've got a couple of little treats in that chapter for you all. As always, next chapter will be up next Saturday, and hopefully I'll be able to stay on track for that scheduled date until I run out of chapters or the story is completed. 
> 
> As always though, comment/kudos/subscribe, and enjoy! Feel free to let me know your thoughts on how it's going so far. As I said last chapter, I'm a little out of practice so I try my best to make every chapter up to standards of my works of the past. 
> 
> Until next week, stay lovely.


	3. His Master, Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: NSFW content ahead

-Ciel’s Point of View- 

I couldn’t calm down. There was all of this rage, this fear, and this absolute burning sensation in my eye. It felt like my contract had been thrown back into a full swing again. While Sebastian and I still felt the connection occasionally, it was never as strong as this. 

I knew he could feel every single emotion that was running through my head currently. 

Lizzy and Alois stood over me as I was hyperventilating, a panic attack wracking my body. It seemed like they didn’t know what to do, but at the same time, they were trying their best to comfort me. 

I held my head in my hands, leaned over and struggled to breathe as Lizzy placed a hand on my shoulder. It was a comforting gesture at the slightest, but I quickly smacked it away. I didn’t want anyone touching me, despite the fact that they had walked me out of the restaurant a few minutes prior. I just wanted to be left alone. 

“Ciel, you need to breathe. Breathe through your nose, hold it, and then exhale from your mouth,” Alois coached, leaning down to look into my one uncovered eye. 

“I,” my voice in a gasp, “I-I-I c-can’t.” My inability to catch my breath made it almost impossible to even speak. 

Lizzy continued to stare at me, concerned, with tears in her green eyes. Her hand held tightly to the pearls that hung around her neck, pearls that I had bought her when we were still together. I was even surprised she still wore them to this day as if it was a reminder that I only wanted to protect and be there for her, an inability to love her anymore than I would a sister. 

“Ciel, you need to breathe. Please work with me,” Alois sighed softly. 

I made a frail attempt to try and follow the technique that he explained to me before when we heard the door to the restaurant open up and a purple haired male started heading towards us. 

His golden eyes were wide as he saw me leaned, clutching my chest, and completely freaking out as I had reason to be. He walked over, trying to grab my hands to pull them away from their tight grip, but I jerked away.

He kneeled on the concrete sidewalk with Alois, speaking to me softly, “Ciel, you need to sit up; it will help with your airflow. You need to breathe like it’s going into your diaphragm and not straight into your lungs.”

Slowly, I sat up, trying to follow what he said, and slowly my breathing returned back to normal. I glanced over at the three, tears in my eyes as my anxiety was tearing me apart. I was wringing my fingers into knots, worried about what was going to happen next, what I may have to relive from all those years ago. 

I thought when the case was over, that was it. Sebastian killing his mother, the reapers all being jailed with life sentences for their crimes, the amount of body bags that came out of the abandoned warehouse, so many that it was almost sickening. Very few were still alive, and those that were, were worse for wear; Lydia being one of them. 

Despite what tragically happened to her years after she returned to her home, I wasn’t surprised when it happened. She was never mentally the same after returning from her capture, even after all the time she spent locked away in a hospital. 

I was shaking, Soma finally having the ability to hold my hands in his, his grip tight as if he was trying to bring me back to reality. 

“Please listen, Ciel,” he said quietly and I looked into his golden eyes that were filled with determination, “We’re going to get through this. You and Sebastian triumphed before and I know you two can do it again. There’s a high possibility that the severity of what happened last time will not happen this time. The police are searching for them, they’re both wanted with rewards. They cannot hide forever, and their unique appearances will be easy to pick out from any crowd.” 

Lizzy remained silent and Alois looked up at me, eyes watery. All three of us remembered clearly what happened last time as if it were just yesterday. We all dealt with slightly different scenarios when it came to our encounters with Serpentine, but they were traumatic all the same. 

I wiped the tears that slid down my face; the ones shed from the blue orb clear, while underneath my eyepatch had a reddish tint, compared to the straight crimson from the past; it still showed how unnatural my eye was compared to the other, even if I kept it covered. 

Soma let go of my hands as Lizzy leaned down, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. She clutched onto me as if she needed it to survive and I reciprocated the motion without realizing it. I didn’t want anyone to touch me, but I had allowed Soma to grip onto my hands, Alois helping Lizzy carry me out of the restaurant, and Lizzy now hugging me tightly. 

“It’ll all be okay. I promise I’ll make it all okay,” She sobbed into my ear, as her tears soaked into the fabric of my shirt. 

I may have stopped carrying my gun once the case ended, but I knew she never stopped carrying a knife placed in a grater that was strapped to her thigh; always hidden out of the sight by the skirts of her dresses, but still deadly if she needed to use it.

\---

Sebastian and I didn’t speak to each other on the way home. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to talk, I just couldn’t get the words or my voice to come out of my throat; my anxiety had muted me. 

It was complete silence as he didn’t even bother to turn the radio on. The only sound was the hum of the engine as his hands tightly gripped the steering wheel of my car. He’d glance over at me every now and again as if he wanted to say something, but chose not to. 

Once we were back at the loft, I just trudged up the stairs, entering the bathroom before turning on the hot water. I poured an extreme amount of bubble bath into the tub, waiting for it to fill up before I stripped off my clothes. 

Slowly, I lowered myself into the tub with my arms, watching my skin turn pink from the heat. I stared at the bubbles that were towering over my head as I leaned back in the tub, trying my best to relax. 

I wanted Sebastian to come into the room. I wanted him to at least come and sit with me, make sure I was okay, just comfort me despite the fact that I wanted nothing to do with him earlier. I want him to warn me about staying in the water for so long before my fingers would prune. I wanted him to join me in the large tub, with well enough room for the two of us to be comfortable. 

I’d even be fine if he lifted me out of the bath and took me to the bedroom… My mind replayed the first time we had sex. How the events almost went exactly as I was thinking about. I’d never forget that day, those events, how he made me feel; I had never been more alive in my life, and I screamed that I loved him. 

My body tensed up, even though I was trying my best to relax. Sebastian and I had been intimate many, many times since then, but that night was burned into my mind. I guess a part of it was because it was my first time, but another part was what happened earlier that day with Demona and the vision that she forced the two of us into. 

Everything that surrounded me meeting Sebastian, dating him, loving him, was all because of that case. All the pieces fell into place perfectly as if his mother had planned it herself, as if she rewrote our fates; especially with how the two of us had similar histories and ties that led to Serpentine. 

I shook the thought away, sinking my head under the water, wetting my hair. The hot water stung my face, and I opened my eyes, ignoring the slight burning sensation that came as I stared up at the distorted ceiling. 

As I lifted my head out of the water, I took in a deep breath of air. 

I did not want to go through all of this again. No one did, but if Demona wasn’t really dead as she was assumed to be, there wasn’t a single idea in my head of what she could be capable of plotting. 

\---

“Ciel,” a voice whispered into my ear. I opened my eyes, vision blurry before it cleared enough to show someone with the same colored eyes as me. 

“M-Mother?” I stuttered, sitting up in the bed. I was still in the loft unlike the other dreams I had in the past involving my parents that resided in the former mansion. 

I glanced around the room, trying to find something unusual that stood out, but the only thing was her. She was the only different thing about this dream until I heard a man speak up, his body leaning against the corner of the doorway. 

“This is a lot different than what I expected you to be living in when you were grown,” a chuckle left his lips as I glanced down at his hand, noticing he was wearing the two rings that had been passed down from generation to generation; rings that I wore every single day. 

“Wh-What are you doing here?” Once again, my voice skipping as I was completely dumbfounded at seeing them. I didn’t know if this was some sort of dream that would turn dark, or if this was reality. 

“We have something we want to talk to you about, blackbird,” my mother said, the nickname she always called me leaving her lips; something that was used to taunt me years ago, and I froze up. 

“There is nothing to worry about, son. They’re not here. I promise you that,” my father said, approaching the bed and placing a hand on my mother’s shoulder. She turned around to give him a look of adoration before turning back to me. 

She glanced down at the covers for a moment before sighing, “We know how much you wanted to get revenge for us, for you, but there’s more to the story than what you discovered previously.” 

My father’s hand held my mother’s shoulder a little bit tighter, the blue stone of his ring glinting in the light. “You remember the letter you found? The one kept in the safe at the factory? The one I left Tanaka right before the fire?” 

I wracked my mind for a moment before I remembered blurbs of what it had said: 

_...what if something was to happen to Rachel and I before he turns eighteen?_

_...If I were to perish…_

_...please watch over my son carefully…_

_...I want to make sure he becomes the mature young man that Mother and Father, and Rachel and I would be proud of…_

“Oh my god,” I gasped, my hands flying up to cover my mouth before my mother gently pulled them away, holding onto them tight. 

“We knew,” Father mumbled, “We knew, but we didn’t know when it would happen, and we never expected for you to end up the way you did in that situation.” 

“H-How?” My voice choked out before they shared a look with one another. 

“Blackbird, we can’t tell you. Unfortunately, this is something you’ll have to figure out on your own,” Mother said, her voice cracking before she pulled me close to her, allowing me to rest my head on her chest like I did when I was a child. 

“Why can’t you tell me?” I mumbled out before she placed a kiss on top of my head, humming softly as tears pricked the corners of my eyes. 

“Rachel, it’s time for us to go,” my father said as she wrapped her arms around me tightly one last time. 

“I’m sorry, Ciel,” she whispered as she climbed off of the bed, my father placing an arm around her waist to lead her away before he glanced back at me. 

“Don’t forget that we love you, son.” 

And then they disappeared, slowly fading away as if they were going back to somewhere I would never find. 

\---

I flung my body up from the bed, a cold sweat covering my skin as I breathed heavily. Was it all a dream? Did my parents really visit me from the afterlife only to confirm that they knew about their lives coming to an end soon before the fire? Demona had claimed years ago that my father had a hand in Mr. Bathory’s death; she claimed that my father hired a hitman to stage it as a suicide… and I knew Mr. Bathory had a history with my grandmother and may have been behind her unsolved murder. 

I knew there was a feud between the two factories, but would my father really be willing to go and have another man killed? He said in a letter that he wouldn’t let Funtom fall into the hands of a Bathory. 

Mr. Bathory would have been long deceased at that point, and Demona was the only heir to what had been left of Bittersweet’s crippled and tarnished remains. 

Did she have intentions of dissolving Funtom into Bittersweet just to give it a better reputation and save what was left, or did she just want revenge for what my father allegedly did to hers?

A headache was forming in the back of my mind before Sebastian sat up next to me, eyes bleary as he asked, “What’s the matter?” 

“N-Nothing,” I lied, not wanting to talk about the dream… not yet at least. 

This involved my family and his, and while he was never close with his parents, or the Bathory clan in general, this was still his flesh and blood. It involved some sort of nasty feud that went on when we were just mere children, potentially even before we were thought of as my grandmother’s death happened when my father was young. 

“Are you sure, _domine mi_?” He asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and I glanced over at the contract mark embedded into his skin. 

“Yeah,” I mumbled, “Just a bad dream.” 

“Come here,” he said, getting me to lay back down, and pulling me close so I could rest my head on his chest. I listened to his heart beat steadily as one of his hands ran through my hair. 

“I’m sorry that all of this is being brought up again. I thought it was dead and buried after all this time,” he quietly spoke, “that we could forget about it all and move on with our lives.” 

I glanced up at him, confused, “This isn’t your fault. You shouldn’t be the one apologizing when it’s all on them. It’s them who caused all that chaos, and it’s them now dredging it all up again.” 

“I could have done something back then though. I could have…” he began, but stopped his words entirely. 

“You could have killed them,” I mumbled, knowing what he would have said had he chosen to finish his sentence. 

There was a long pause between the two of us, his heart beating a little faster before he said softly, “Yes.” 

I remember the last glimpse I had gotten of him before he disappeared for a year. I had only seen him from behind, but I could see the dark wings jutting from his back, a tattoo of two snakes perfectly aligned in the middle. Two horns protruded from his skull, his raven black locks surrounding it. His nails had turned into dark black claws, the color running up to the middle of his forearms as if they were just mere gloves. 

I had cried to him, but he was gone. He was afraid that I’d see him as a monster for the way he had transformed to take down the woman who tormented me. 

“You didn’t know, and I commend you for that. Even though you left, I was allowed to do with them what I had seen fit; they were arrested and tried for their crimes, and were given multiple life sentences per reaper, mainly due to all the ghastly things they found in that warehouse,” I said, glancing up at him, my violet eye glowing and leaving a small reflection on his face. 

“What happened, what they did, was never your fault,” I whispered, and I felt the connection to him through my eye twinge just a little bit. 

He was quiet, the two of us staring at each other when I felt the connection burn with a sudden, heated emotion that I wasn’t sure was mine or his. 

Within just a blink of an eye, he had me laying with my back on the bed as he leered over me, a small smirk on his face before he placed his lips on mine; almost as if this was a newfound hunger for lust. 

I mean, I couldn’t lie, the two of us went at it pretty often, but this was different. This was like we had just met all over again. 

The kiss was heated, emotional, as if there was a force just absolutely drawing me to him. Our mouths were parted, his tongue tangling with mine as I felt his tongue ring slide across my lower lip. I moaned into the kiss, feeling his fingers trail across my body in all the right places as my arms were wrapped around his neck; my fingers running through his hair. 

He broke the kiss, lips moving down my neck as he whispered against my skin, “Do you feel what I feel?” 

His lips slid just a bit lower than the bruise that he had left the other day, his hot breath causing me to shiver as he started to put another mark on my pale skin. 

As he nipped at me, I hissed, enjoying the feeling, “Yes.” 

My eye burned, his hands sliding further down my naked body before wrapping around my erection, pumping slowly in the most teasing of ways. 

He bit into my neck roughly, causing a squeak to leave my lips, but I continued to pull him closer. He seemed different from what he had been the past few weeks. There was something different in his mannerisms, and I wondered if his demonic side was having a play in this as it did on occasions. 

Slowly, he kissed up my neck, moving his lips back to mine as my fingers clawed down his back, my palms running over the raised scars that marred the pale flesh. 

As we kissed, the hand he had wrapped around me moved to mindlessly paw at the drawer on the bedside table until he opened it, grabbing a bottle out of it. He pulled away for just a moment to sit up and coat his fingers in the sticky substance before I leaned forward, wrapping my lips around his manhood. I took the whole length into my mouth before drawing my lips back, and repeating the movement. 

I had gotten a bit more confident in bed in the past few years, now that I had the experience, and I could tell what he liked, and what he didn’t like. He dropped the bottle, taking the hand that wasn’t covered in lube to wrap up into my hair, guiding my head back and forth at the pace that he wanted; even though I had confidence, I always let him have control. 

He pulled my head back, throwing me back down onto the bed before I felt one of his fingers around my entrance, pushing it in slowly before he teased into my ear, “My, I wasn’t expecting you to do that while I was distracted.”

I went to give him a smirk, but was stopped by a moan as he found that sweet spot almost instantly. My hips rose up at their own accord, grinding into him as he kissed me again, adding another fingers, and then one more. 

I was almost writhing in pleasure, him holding my chin tightly against his lips as if he didn’t want me to pull away from him. 

“Can I put it in?” He asked, running his tongue over my earlobe, tugging gently at one of the studs in my ears with his teeth. He was as cocky as ever. 

“You know you don’t have to ask me that. I think you can tell what I want,” I taunted, reaching up and nipping at his shoulder. 

He released his grip on my chin, moving his hand down to one of my hips before he slid inside me, my eyes rolling back. I tried to stifle a moan from being filled, but it escaped my lips and he chuckled. 

He always enjoyed watching me writhe and moan under his touch as he thrust himself inside me, and I felt a tickle going down my stomach, glancing for only a second to see a feather before it dissipated into nothingness as they always did. 

From above me, I could see his eyes glowing their demonic red, his incisors just a tad bit sharper than normal before my eyes screwed shut once again; his demon enjoyed this as much as his sliver of humanity did. 

Our lips crashed together once again, small gasps and moans leaving my mouth as my back arched. He pulled my lip with his teeth, trying to be gentle, but nicking the skin; something that just happened occasionally in the heat of the moment. 

The taste of copper danced on both of our tongues as he wrapped his hand around my erection once again, pumping me in time with this thrusts, almost causing me to see stars. 

I felt like I had never experienced this type of pleasure before, and I loved every single damning second of it. I couldn’t figure out what was different about this compared to all the other times, but I didn’t care either. 

“I, _ah_ , I,” I broke the kiss, trying to get my words out, but faltered. My short nails scratched down his back again, holding him tight to me as I panted. 

“I know,” he groaned. He already knew what I was going to say; he always did. 

My back arched even higher as my vision became a flash of white, an almost strangled scream left my lips as I spent across our stomachs. 

His pace became sloppy as I knew he was close, and I sank my teeth into his shoulder, a groan rising from the back of his throat as he released inside of me. 

As he pulled out, I laid on the bed, absolutely lost in bliss and far away from coming off of my high. He laid down next to me, trying to catch his breath, his eyes slowly losing their glow and gaining the more human like features he had back. 

I looked over, grabbing one of the feathers, admiring it for a moment, watching as it disappeared from my fingers before sighing. 

“Did that feel different for you?” He asked, glancing over at me as we alid in the dark, the smell of sex and smoke in the air. 

“Yeah,” I sighed, “It was a good kind of different though. I don’t even know what it was.” 

He chuckled at my response, moving an arm to lay under the pillow where I rested my head before he rolled over to face me. 

“Neither do I, but I think you enjoyed it as much, if not more than I did, _domine mi_ ,” he said softly, placing a kiss on my cheek. 

I felt so spent that I didn’t even know how to respond, but my face burned with the start of a blush. I took the time in the moment to forget about the troubles in the back of my mind, and the worries I had were temporarily disabled. 

All I had right now was this moment, this different, inconspicuous moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my lovelies! 
> 
> My, it has been quite a while week for me. I've been doing quite a bit of work at my job, so I haven't really had time to update the queue of chapters I have currently; hoping to get to that sometime this weekend though as I have a day off; I still have plenty of chapters for updates, but I'd rather be ahead than behind. 
> 
> So, I thought I'd give my readers a little treat this chapter. I know there were only a couple of scenes like this in Deal With the Devil, but there's going to be a small handful in this one; I will put chapter warnings at the top of the page though much like I did with this one. There's a bit to digest in this chapter though. My Ciel has always been a bit of an OOC character, but I try to fit in as much of his canon personality as possible, though I do wish I had done that job a tad bit better six years ago (but hey, guess that might show some growth); with the situations that he's dealing with though when it comes to his past, there's a lot of emotions involved, one of them being quite a bit of fear and anxiety. He knows that Sebastian is there to protect him, but the idea of him having to relive these things over again takes a toll on his mindset much like it did in the previous iteration of this series. There is also my small headcanon thrown in here about when Ciel cries; the marked eye doesn't shed normal tears, but ones that are blood red. 
> 
> Also, want to give a small shoutout to my coworker. If she sees this, then she knows who she is. It's not that often I share my writing with someone that I know in my regular life outside of the the internet, and I appreciate her giving it a read as this is the first serious piece of writing that I've done in almost two years. 
> 
> Next week we are going to dive into Sebastian's point of view again, and there is a bit of drama in that chapter. I'll also talk a teeny bit more about some of the secrets that Sebastian has hidden over the years. 
> 
> Until then, comment/kudos/subscribe, and as always, enjoy! 
> 
> Stay lovely.


	4. That Butler, Return

-Sebastian’s Point of View- 

When I awoke the next morning, I could have swore that last night was some sort of dream. The only thing that truly told me that it was a reality though was Ciel was fast asleep, his neck covered in love bites, and the fact that the tile on the shower floor still had a reddish hue from washing off the blood from my meal earlier in the night. 

Usually when I hunted last at night when Ciel was asleep, I stayed awake with the energy that consuming a soul left me with. After I took a shower when I got home, and washed the blood from my clothes though, I decided to lay down next to him. I had barely even started to drift off to sleep once again when Ciel sprang up from the bed after having what I assumed was a nightmare. 

He didn’t have them as often as he did when we first met, but there was still an occasional one here and there, as I knew his mind would never rid itself of the tragedy that he went through; even after we had been led to assume that the case was closed and there was nothing to worry about. 

After we talked and I apologized for what was going on, something to a hold of me though. I wasn’t sure if it was entirely me, entirely my demon, or if it was a mixture of both. Usually, I was able to differentiate between the two, but this time, I couldn’t. It made everything more wild, more passionate, and I just enjoyed Ciel so much more. 

Instead of waking Ciel up for school, I just decided to let him sleep in. He was probably emotionally drained from yesterday’s news, and last night’s events. I knew it was better for him to sleep in anyways as I had a few things I needed to take care of before he arose for the day. 

First was to take a shower, making sure the reddish tint of the tile was washed away before Ciel noticed. Usually, I wasn’t so careless about letting the color linger, but last night had taken a lot out of me for some reason; more than it normally did. 

I ran my hands through my hair shampooing it thoroughly. The hot water ran down my body, washing away the scent of sex and sweat, the heat prickling my skin at the same time. I glanced down, watching as the red slowly washed away from the light shower tile, bringing it back to it’s pristine color. 

I had spent years now trying to hide the fact that I needed to hunt from Ciel, and despite this being such a small thing that maybe only I would have noticed, I had never been careless when it came to washing away the evidence. Maybe I was tired of keeping up the facade? Maybe I had let the fear of what Ciel would think take over, let me be meticulous, and not admit the truth? I sighed in frustration, turning off the water before grabbing the towel that hung next to the shower, drying my hair off before wrapping it around my waist. 

A small sting ran through my hand as I walked over to the mirror, wiping away the steam. My eyes flashed red for only a few moments before returning back to their usual reddish-brown color. 

Maybe my demon had grown tired of me hiding it’s true form as a secret, but that was my biggest fear. Ciel hadn’t seen the full expanse of what it looked like since that night Serpentine met its end by losing its figurehead. Even then though, he only saw me from behind. 

He didn’t see what I went through afterwards when I disappeared. After pushing myself to that extent, it was hard to return without causing even more bloodshed. The demon wanted more after finally being fully released, and though I had looked mainly human, my eyes didn’t return to their normal color, my teeth stayed sharp, and the tips of my fingers, not just the nail, were stained black as soot. 

It wasn’t until weeks, and quite a few souls later that my demon’s hunger was satisfied. 

From what Claude had told me, it was very seldom that anyone who was a demon had to push themselves that far as I had to that day; no one in the past 100 years at least. Explaining to him what happened to me afterwards was something that even his parents had hardly heard of. He said that even if my mother had survived the fight against me, even with the power she had released, she would have dealt with the same repercussions.

With that being said, I understood why she had the reapers do a majority of her dirty work; especially the murder of Ciel’s parents. She did it to retain her demon’s composure, not letting it run away like a dog without a leash. 

It’s why I felt so guilty about hunting, but I couldn’t deny that the demon wasn’t a part of me. It had its own needs, and helped me retain my own. 

After that fight though, I knew my mother’s actions hadn’t wholly been her demon’s though. Most of it was as a result of her being power hungry, while harnessing her demon’s ability at the same time. We could go weeks without souls, but in order to retain the power that she had, she had to have been consuming them every other day, which I didn’t doubt at all with all the hostages she kept at the warehouse. She had no reason to let her demon even become close to hungry, she just wanted more and more of the power it had to offer. 

My eyes met my reflection one again, glancing over the small bite mark on my shoulder, one that Ciel had left on me. I reached up, touching it gently, remembering why I had let my demon loose years ago. 

I did it for him. Not because I was contracted to him, not because of what my parents did to me. I did for him so he could not only get his revenge, but because I loved him. 

I put my life on the line for him because I loved him, entirely, with all of my heart and being; even my demon understood that. 

I bit my lip, thinking of what could come ahead, what I may have to do _again_ when it came to using what I was able to do. No one had fully unleashed their demon in a long time, let alone do it twice. There was no telling what could happen…

I’d do it again though; time and time again, even if there was a higher stakes risk than last time. 

I would do it again for him, and him only. 

\---

“Good afternoon, _domine mi_ ,” I greeted Ciel, glancing up from my phone as I heard the patter of footsteps come out of the bedroom. I flicked the ashes off my lit cigarette into the ashtray beside me as he let out a small groan in response. 

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, wearing one of his oversized sleep shirts draped over his shoulders, not even bothering to button it up. I watched as he slowly walked up the stairs, heading towards the bathroom. 

A few minutes later, he came back down the stairs, looking a bit more put together, his hair not as ruffled, and his night clothes done up. He flopped down on the couch, yawning before he glanced over at me. 

“Did last night really happen or did I dream the whole thing?” He mumbled the question, rubbing his marked eye. 

I chuckled softly, putting out the cigarette before leaning on my arm, “You didn’t dream it.” 

“Just wanted to make sure,” he said softly, humming. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it away from his eyes, looking lost in thought. 

“Where are we going to go from here?” He asked, glancing over at me. 

A look of concern crossed my face before I asked, “What do you mean?” 

He seemed a little flustered for a moment before sighing, “With our new ordeal. We don’t know where they’re at, and we don’t know what they’re planning to do. How do we proceed?” 

I was silent for a moment, thinking. It was true, with two reapers loose and no clues currently, there was not much we _could_ do. We didn’t want to wait for something to happen, but at the same time, we had to. We didn’t know who helped them escape, or if they did it on their own. At the same time, were they trying to revive Serpentine, or were they two star-crossed lovers, trying to run away despite the bounty on their heads?

“Unfortunately, we just have to wait.” 

A look of frustration crossed his face as he knitted his eyebrows. I knew he didn’t want to wait because we had no idea what would happen if we did. If they chose to be as ruthless as before, then it could mean danger for Ciel and whoever else survived Serpentine’s crimes; Lizzy being the main one that came to mind. 

His impatience flickered through my hand before he said, his voice cracking, “Sebastian, I’m scared of what they’re capable of. Kasadya was raised to be a killer, and Ronald was about the same level; she was just more vicious than he happened to be. With the two of them combined though, they could be capable of anything heinous.” 

I sat for a second, mulling over my thoughts before responding, “They need someone to give them direction though. They knew nothing without my mother being the leader.” I knew it was the truth. 

Kasadya had always looked for my mother to guide her. My mother had raised her from a child unlike she did me. My mother considered her as the daughter she never had, and it showed through their connection and their mannerisms towards each other. 

“Who is to say that someone isn’t trying to revive Serpentine though?” He asked, looking up at me. His eyes looked almost broken at the thought of it. 

“If they are then you know I’d protect you from them. Contract or not, I’d be your sword and shield however many times it takes to bring them down, and finally avenge your parents’ deaths, as well as what they did to you,” I said, him cringing when I brought up his family. 

He was quiet, having nothing else to say, but I could see the worry in his troubled eyes along with some other emotion I couldn’t figure out. It appeared that he had something else on his mind besides the situation that was going on, but it seemed like he wasn’t willing to talk about it, or maybe he wasn’t prepared enough to. 

As much as I was curious as to what was on his mind, I had known by this point that if he didn’t want to talk about something, I shouldn’t ask. Usually he had a point when he decided not to leave it alone in his thoughts, and whatever it was, this wasn’t the time. 

He sighed loudly, sitting up on the edge of the couch before saying, “I need to go by the factory today. There’s numbers and new products I need to talk to Tanaka about, and just give an overall check of everything.” 

I picked up another cigarette, lighting it before I spoke, smoke escaping my lungs, “Are you going to get your gun?” 

He only carried the gun for a short time during our case, getting it from a fireproof safe his father had at the factory. After the case was over, and he felt safe enough not to carry it in the shoulder holster concealed underneath his jacket, it returned back to the place where he got it. 

“I’m thinking about it. I’d rather be armed like Lizzy at all times. She doesn’t go anywhere without at least one knife on her person, but she’s always been like that, before and after she was held hostage,” he sighed, climbing off the couch before heading to the bedroom to pick out clothes from his wardrobe. 

I glanced down at the burning ember not too far away from my fingers, Despite me being able to do anything he wanted to protect him, he still wanted the ability to protect himself if things went wrong. He always wanted to have control in any situation that life threw at him, but I chalked it up to how helpless and weak as a child after his parents murders. 

I glanced over at the doorway to the bedroom, seeing him changing into fresh clothes, tying his eyepatch behind his head to hide his blind, marked eye. He caught me staring at him before a blush dusted his cheeks before I smirked. 

“I never get tired of looking at you,” I cooed, and he rolled his eyes at me, muttering something that I couldn’t hear. 

\---

After Ciel left for the factory, I grabbed my guitar, putting it in the trunk of my car before driving over to a park on East Side. Even though I worked at The Devil’s Playlist, I did busk on the side every once in a while. Instead of sitting at home all day, I thought it’d be good to get some fresh air. 

The Fastback was sputtering by the time I reached the park, but that was normal at this point. It seemed like it was finally giving out on me, but it made sense. My grandfather bought it brand new off the lot, and I always remembered him driving it around when I was a child. 

I thought about taking Ciel’s offer to have it refurbished with probably quite a few parts being replaced, especially the motor, but I had turned it down. I knew it was going to be a lot of money to do so, but I just knew I needed to let it go eventually; even though I loved the car dearly so, and it meant a lot to my grandfather. 

As I climbed out the vehicle, shutting the door with a loud squeak, I grabbed my guitar and slung it over my shoulder. As I made my way down the path, I glanced around to see various people enjoying the nice day. There were sounds of children laughing, a couple having a picnic under a tree, older couples strolling around, and other people just walking their dogs. 

The thing I liked about this part of town was that it stood out from the usual hustle and bustle of the city. East Side was considered the nicer side of the city, and this park stood up to their standards. West Side was more industrial; Funtom being one of the many factories that inhabited it, along with the former Bittersweet Candy Company. 

I took a seat on one of the benches, pulling my guitar from its case, leaving it open for passerbyers to throw in change among other random trinkets I sometimes received. 

Slowly, I strummed the chords, making sure everything was in tune before I just began playing to my heart’s content. I usually did a lot of covers of songs when I decided to sing, but sometimes there was an occasional original work that came to mind. I knew being a musician was a rough climb to make a career out of, but at the same time, I was willing to put forth the effort to get what I wanted. 

I could hear the clatter of change hitting the velvet lining of the case, but I never really paid attention to whoever was willing to donate. If I caught the person's glance though, I usually gave them a small nod or wave of thanks; a majority of the time though, I was fairly lost in the music. 

I sat there and played, occasionally singing, for a few hours. I glanced down at the case, grabbing the change that I had earned before I felt something prick my hand, a small bead of blood showing up on my palm before I glanced at what it was. 

Moving the change to the side in my hand, I saw something that blended in, the same color of silver, before I pulled it out. Holding it between my fingers, the metal shined in the sunlight before my heart slowed, eyes growing wide. 

It was a pin, an all too familiar pin at that; two snakes crossed around a scepter. A simplistic design from what was tattooed into my skin, the logo for the former Bittersweet Candy Company, and the mark of Serpentine. 

The bleeding spot on my finger instantly healed as my demon made itself known with the twinge of rage that was burning inside me. I whipped my head around, expecting a reaper to be hiding behind a tree, watching for my reaction, but no one was there. Everything about the park remained the same; the children’s laughter, the picnics, and people just living in the moment, walking down the paths with their pets. 

_You knew they were going to return. They’re here to play their game again, and you know it begins with the taunting._

The demon said softly inside my mind before I growled in frustration; no one paying mind to the action. The demon rarely spoke anymore, but when it did, it spoke only in loud truths. 

Placing my guitar back into the case and latching it, I clutched the pin tightly in my hand, not giving a damn that it was piercing the skin worse than the first time. 

_You’re weak. You’ll always be weak._

My mother’s words, clear in the back of my mind as if she had just said them to me yesterday. 

Even though she was long deceased, I’d prove her wrong again. I’d prove it time and time again until those left in the cult finally got the memo. 

\---

I thought about chucking the pin into the nearest trash can, but decided against it. This was the first sign of their return, and at some point during those few hours, someone had approached me to throw it in, but they were not noticeable enough for me to look up. 

I lit a cigarette, bringing it to my lips. My hands were shaking slightly with all the thoughts that wracked my mind. I had no idea what to tell Ciel, or even how to conjure up the words as to why this pin was in my possession. I didn’t know how he was going to react because of how fragile his mind could possibly become. 

It was like living a nightmare all over again. Things that we had put in the past were being brought back up again like something undead. This was supposed to end with that damn case and me killing my own flesh and blood, the woman who gave birth to me. Here we were though, on the cusp of going through it all once again. 

_You said you’d do it again though._

“And I will,” I muttered to the demon, taking a drag of my cigarette. 

_You know what power we’re capable of. You know you can end it here and now if you take the power into your hands like you did last time._

“I don’t want to go that far.” 

_If they’re still the same, you’ll have to, and you know what you have to do to fully release the power that we share in this form._

I saw flashbacks of all the souls I took prior to fighting my mother. All their histories playing through my head at once, how _sweet_ their souls were; sweetened through absolute chaos and their own harsh crimes. 

_My, we both remember that taste of pure corruption; absolute, divine perfection._

“Dammit!” I shouted, slamming my fists on the coffee table, just in time for Ciel to walk through the door. 

I could feel my eyes glowing red with my anger, and he stared at me for a moment with wide eyes. 

“Are you… okay?” He asked, pausing in the middle of his question before my demon hid itself back into the depths of my mind. 

My eyes reverted back to their normal color before I took a sharp breath, “No,” exhaling, “I’m not.” 

He placed his bag right next to the door, and I took notice of another one with it; a black plastic bag with his company logo printed on it. Slowly, he stepped towards where I was sitting, taking his own seat on one of the chairs to the left of where I was sitting on the couch. 

“What happened?” Slight concern laced his voice and I clenched my fists once again, not even knowing where to start. 

I pulled my mouth into a tight line for a moment, trying to find my words, “I went out busking at the park,” I said softly. 

“And?” 

I reached over to the leather jacket that was slung over the couch, pulling the pin out of the pocket and saying, “Someone threw this into my guitar case,” I handed the small metallic object over to the younger male. 

His eyes grew even wider before stuttering out, “I-I-It’s…” He lost what he was saying after the first word, fear lingering in his uncovered blue eye as his body began to quake. 

“Them, yes,” I finished what he was going to say as he stared down at the pin in his hands. He was completely frozen, immobile once again as his eye stayed trained to the object in front of him. 

I was about to pull him out of what was another catatonic state when my phone rang. I picked it up, sending it straight to voicemail before it began ringing again immediately afterwards. 

A growl of annoyance left my lips as I swiped the accept button, holding it up to my ear, seething through my teeth, “Claude, this is a really bad time.” 

“ _Well, I guess it’s only about to get worse,_ ” he muttered, his voice remaining neutral. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I shouted, my temper hitting a boiling point. Ciel didn’t even bat an eye as I raised my voice. 

“ _Alois and Lizzy got a call from Sieglinde. They were supposed to meet on campus, but they found her before they even got there_ ,” he said, acting as if my irritated tone didn’t affect him in the slightest bit. 

“What’s the point of this conversation?” I asked, frustrated as if he was trying to drag me around in a circle. 

“ _She’s dead, Sebastain._ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we have our first murder. 
> 
> Honestly don't really have much to say about this chapter; my brain is fried from work and I've stayed up late to edit this in time to post before my deadline. At this point in time, it seems like Sebastian and his demon are two separate entities, but that'll be touched on in a later chapter. A reminder for the lore in Deal With the Devil, the reason Sebastian possesses demonic abilities is because his great-great-great (I don't remember many greats I decided on six years ago) grandfather was possessed by a demon; the demon decided to remain on earth after the human's soul merged with the demon and thus his bloodline was created. While Sebastian has a bit of a shred of humanity, he still has a demon; again, this will be touched on in a later chapter. 
> 
> Next chapter will cover what Ciel does at the factory before his return home. Will say that it's a bit of filler, but there's a lot of plot involved when it comes to Ciel's dream from the previous chapter. I promise the next Sebastian chapter will be definitely exciting though. 
> 
> That's all I've got for this week. Please comment/kudos/subscribe, and most of all enjoy! 
> 
> As always, stay lovely. 
> 
> Also, side note, I have a question about how you all see the spacing in chapters. I write everything in Google Docs, no paragraph spacing. Archive sees the copy/pasted version quite weird. Is the spacing between paragraphs too close or is it tolerable? Just want to make sure everyone is able to enjoy without their eyes going crossed.


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